The Department of Children and Families (DCF) is an institution that was established to ensure the safety of children. This was created in response to the societal need to provide stability and regulate a household. One of the statuses in DCF is the commissioner. Angelo McClain’s role as commissioner is to oversee the employees and make sure the institution is running effectively and up to it’s maximum potential.
One of the programs that DCF offers is foster parenting. In order to qualify to become a foster parent one must be at least 18 years of age, have a stable income, be able to provide adequate sleeping quarters, and allow DCF to complete a complete Background Record Check. In order to become a foster parent you have to attend MAPP (Massachusetts Approach to Partnership in Parenting) training which allows families to learn more about communication, how foster parenting will affect your family, as well as the skills that are needed to become a foster parent. They do not discriminate against the statuses of people. A person can be married, divorced, have a partner, widowed, etc. The typical stay of a foster child is 3-18 months. DCF promotes the value that children should be with their biological parents whenever possible. If it is impossible for the child to go back with their parents they will find a permanent home with a family or even take the route of adoption.
Another status that makes up DCF is the social workers. Their role is to meet with different families who have cases and check in with them routinely. They often make house visits to ensure that the child is properly being taken care of. Families often will ask for DCF to be involved with their family voluntarily. DCF can provide services like camps for children, day care vouchers, furniture for the house, and parenting training to better capabilities.
These statistics were taken directly from At a Glance statistics for Massachusetts:
CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT
Massachusetts had 70,362 total referrals for child abuse and neglect in
2009. Of those, 42,447 reports were referred for investigation.
In 2009, 23,935 children were substantiated or indicated as abused or
neglected in Massachusetts, a rate of 13.1 per 1,000 children, representing
a 13.8% increase from 2006. These children experience varied—
sometimes multiple—forms of maltreatment; 104% were neglected, 14%
were physically abused, and 2.8% were sexually abused.
In 2009, an unknown number of Massachusetts children died as a result
of abuse or neglect.
In 2009, 9,650 children in Massachusetts lived apart from their families in
out-of-home care, compared with 9,667 children in 2008. In 2009, 3,031
of the children living apart from their families were age 5 or younger, and
2,170 were 16 or older.
Of Massachusetts children in out-of-home care in 2009, 4,479 were
white, 1,590 black, 2,599 Hispanic, 13 American Indian/Alaskan Native,
and 449 of other races and ethnicities.
It is alarming to see the amount of children and families who are referred to DCF. More than half of the referrals to DCF were investigated!
The institution of DCF is a necessity in society. It ensures that children are not being abused or neglected. Without an institution like DCF parents could treat their children in whatever manner they would want. The livelihood of children would be at risk because there wouldn’t be an institution regulating proper care of these children. DCF creates stability in relationships with parents and children and gives parents the proper skills to take care of their children.
DCF is very useful to protect not only children but thier families as well. Of course there are those people who think that DCF do more harm than help, but that is not true. I think this misconception comes from accusations. Someone can make an accusation about a family and get DCF involved and the family and surrounding members can get upset because DCF was mislead. However, this is not a problem with DCF. They were called to help, not hurt.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in Kindergarten I told a classmate that I took a shower with my parents. I was only five, and showering with a parent was not abnormal. That classmate went home and told her parents who called DSS (at the time). They sent a social worker to my house and not only were my parents mortified, but so was I. It was a misunderstanding. But, looking back my classmates parent was just trying to make sure that I was okay because that may not have been normal for their family, and they also didn't know my parents. I remember thinking that the social worker was trying to take me away and put there. He was protecting, making sure that I was things into my head, that wasn't meant to be not being mistreated.
I agree that DCF is for the better. I believe they do a lot to help children in need, and children that are being hurt. I just think the guidelines should be adjusted in some way to stop some of the horrible things that happen these days. For example, there was a lady at my old job who took in foster children. She also had children of her own. She told me that she only took in the foster children for the money that they give you. She would feed the foster children frozen meals, but would feed her children home cooked meals. I couldn't believe it when I heard this. I did report her. I imagine this type of thing happens a lot more than we think. DCF does a great job. I just wish there was a way to stop these bad things from happening to these children.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Heathers post..
ReplyDeleteThat's so mean.. These are the reasons that the system; even when its helping, is damaging a child. They can't regulate everything that happens. These foster children probably felt like outsiders, and unloved, all the time by this one act by someone who didn't care. You shouldn't be allowed to take in children if you are not going to treat them right and really want to help them. Doing it for the money isn't a good enough reason.
DCF is a great institution. I think that they do a great job helping children whom are in need. In response to Heather's post, I think it is so sad that someone would take in foster children just for the money. It is even worse that this individual treated the foster children differently than her own children. I have never known anyone personally that has done this but I have heard of it happening before. It is completely heart breaking. I would imagine that DCF has a strict process in the steps of choosing people who can be foster parents, however, it is sad to say that there are individuals out there who are good at manipulating people and institutions like DCF, into believing that they are taking in these children for the right reasons. After all, most people would never even think about taking in foster children for the money, most people would do it to help these children and give them a safe and warm place to live.
ReplyDeleteAs there are many misconceptions about this institution, their main goal and values is to reunite children with their biological parents. Some people assume that they only want to take them out of their home to be with a "better" family. This is definetely not the case. DCF works with many parents to learn the skills to become a good parent. There are many classes that they can take, and also work with families one on one to better their relationships with their children. As any institution has its faults, DCF cannot regulate every single family. They do their best to investigate when people call in to report someone. As others have pointed out there are foster parents who take advantage of the fact that they receive money. There is never going to be a perfect system. They can only do their best to fulfill their goals and the roles that they play within DCF.
ReplyDelete